South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill launched two new ship-to-shore container cranes today during a special event at Flinders Adelaide Container Terminal, Outer Harbor. The new cranes, that cost $24 million, are essential for South Australia to secure the direct shipping services needed for the State’s exports to remain competitive on the world stage. By delivering efficient supply chains for shipping lines and their customers, the investment in new cranes will help to secure jobs at the Container Terminal and in the wider community.
“Our aim is to ensure that Flinders Adelaide Container Terminal offers South Australia a world class service now and into the long-term. These cranes represent the continuation of a development program aimed to serve the needs of South Australia’s importers and exporters for the next 40 years. We are doing the preliminary work now that will see our capacity lifted to 2.5 million containers per year – six times the current volume,” said Mr Vincent Tremaine, Chief Executive Officer, Flinders Port Holdings.
Weighing in at 950 tonnes each, the cranes have undergone a rigorous commissioning process since February to prepare them for active service. Each crane has a maximum lifting capacity of 80 tonnes using a special cargo beam and can lift multiple containers simultaneously. A range of safety and efficiency features are boosting productivity and are expected to improve vessel turnaround times for shipping lines. These include an ‘intelligent slow-down’ feature for lifting and lowering containers and a central monitoring and diagnostic system for crane maintenance.
“We expect to make significant productivity gains because these new cranes are extremely efficient. Vessel turn-around times will be up to 25% faster. Most importantly they have a number of innovative safety features which are already boosting the wellbeing and productivity of our workforce, who work in a fast-paced, dynamic environment,” said Mr Tremaine.
The new ship-to-shore cranes were manufactured by Liebherr Container Cranes in Ireland and then shipped to Port Adelaide. Flinders Adelaide Container Terminal, the container division of Flinders Port Holdings, has been working closely on the crane commissioning with manufacturer, Liebherr and interstate engineering specialists Inver Engineering.
The cranes were assembled at a special site adjacent to the Terminal to avoid any disruption to terminal operations. This allowed the cranes to be constructed and rigorously tested ahead of the carefully planned ‘mega-move’ onto the wharf in May.
The new cranes are being supported by Flinders Adelaide Container Terminal’s brand new crane simulator training centre, which opened at Outer Harbor in March this year. Shipping lines will benefit from the new training for Flinders Adelaide Container Terminal operators, which is enabling them to load and unload vessels more efficiently. The simulator is the most advanced training facility of its kind in the southern hemisphere.
About Flinders Adelaide Container Terminal
Flinders Adelaide Container Terminal has operated since July 2012 when Flinders Port Holdings gained 100% ownership of the Adelaide Container Terminal from DP World South Australia. Flinders Adelaide Container Terminal aims to be recognised as the most efficient and customer focussed container terminal operator in Australia. In 2014, the Container Terminal, which is located in Outer Harbor, South Australia, handled around 380,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), including overstows and empty TEUs and stevedored 329 container ships.
About Flinders Port Holdings Pty Ltd
Flinders Port Holdings Pty Ltd is the holding company for the Group’s ports, logistics and container terminal businesses.
